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Current TV Boxset Addiction

Started by radiator, 20 November, 2012, 02:23:29 PM

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pictsy

Quote from: wedgeski on 24 June, 2020, 09:44:52 AM
(Apple previewed next year's Foundation series yesterday and it looks fantastic).

I didn't know this was going to be a thing, so I checked it out.  I don't like the look of it.  Looks like it's lacking the charm from the books that I loved so much.  Think I'll give it a miss.

von Boom

Quote from: pictsy on 24 June, 2020, 10:24:15 PM
Quote from: wedgeski on 24 June, 2020, 09:44:52 AM
(Apple previewed next year's Foundation series yesterday and it looks fantastic).

I didn't know this was going to be a thing, so I checked it out.  I don't like the look of it.  Looks like it's lacking the charm from the books that I loved so much.  Think I'll give it a miss.
It's been about 40 years since I read Foundation et. al. and I don't recall so many guns.

pictsy

Quote from: von Boom on 25 June, 2020, 12:20:57 AM
Quote from: pictsy on 24 June, 2020, 10:24:15 PM
Quote from: wedgeski on 24 June, 2020, 09:44:52 AM
(Apple previewed next year's Foundation series yesterday and it looks fantastic).

I didn't know this was going to be a thing, so I checked it out.  I don't like the look of it.  Looks like it's lacking the charm from the books that I loved so much.  Think I'll give it a miss.
It's been about 40 years since I read Foundation et. al. and I don't recall so many guns.

Yeah, that was a red flag for me.  It seems like they are selling it as a bespoke sci-fi action series.  There are plenty of them already that I haven't watched.

repoman

Rewatched all of Community.  Enjoyed most of it.

Started something called Future Man.  Four eps in and it is brilliant. 

Mardroid

#2539
I watched the 4 series of The Magicians on Amazon Prime recently. (There's a fifth final series on the way.)

I almost  didn't continue after the [spoiler]rape[/spoiler] of one of the characters. I know that including stuff that happens in real life in fiction can be a good thing in making it relatable etc, but [spoiler]I'd rather rape not be included, especially not so explicitly, although it could have been a lot worse.[/spoiler]

There was a lot of other good stuff though so I persevered, and I'm glad I did. It's quite an odd-ball fantasy series, extremely quirky, sometimes a bit silly, but I enjoyed it a lot. It plays with certain fantasy tropes and does other things with them. The characters are mostly all very three dimensional. It's sometimes a bit vulgar and nasty for the sake of it, but  it can be quite sweet and poignant too.

It can go to a very dark place, but can be very funny as well. And they occasionally break  into song too, which you might hate. I find it amusing and audacious , partly due to the embarrassment factor.

[spoiler]I'm slightly embarrassed to say, that an occurrence in the last episode of series 4 brought a tear to my eye.[/spoiler]

It's not perfect at all but I enjoyed it a lot. I found this far preferable to that other 'young wizards at college series' on Netflix, The Order (although kudos for making a gang of werewolves protagonists in that one). I don't dislike the Order, but it just feels a bit shallow compared to the Magicians. The tone is very different despite them playing with the same toys, although both can be funny.

Currently watching Doom Patrol on Starz.* My feelings have been a bit mixed on this: it goes to a pretty crazy place - occasionally too nuts for my liking, but overall, I like it so far. There's too much swearing though.

As way of example of the crazy stuff: [spoiler] the main professor character and the entire town get swallowed up by a strange extradimensional vortex thing created by the main villain Mr. Nobody. (This was preceded by a donkey farting a message in green smoke.) Crazy Jane followed the professor into the vortex to save him.

Later on she was puked up by the donkey.

Oh and what's with the preaching cricket character? It's like Jiminy crossed dimensions and went crazy.
[/spoiler]

*I'm dropping Disney+ for this. Now that the Star Wars stuff has finished (and the fact I've seen most of the Marvel stuff already) it doestnt seem worth keeping. When they have series 2 of the Mandalorian and that new Red Witch and robot bloke** series I'll likely resubscribe, but I think I'll be wasting my money keeping it permanently.

**And after thing that, his name pops into my head 'Vision'. I'm gonna leave it as it amuses me.

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: Mardroid on 29 June, 2020, 06:44:46 PM
As way of example of the crazy stuff

Have you read the Morrison/Case DP run? That's not snark, it's just that, for me, the TV series does a remarkable job of capturing the quite deranged tone of the comic. It's not exactly there, but it's closer than anything I ever expected to see on TV.
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

Jim_Campbell

Elsewhere in our new TV landscape... is anyone else watching the Snowpiercer TV series on Netflix...? I'll confess to being entirety unfamiliar with either the film or the original comic, but I'm really enjoying this. Also, Jennifer Connolly. :-)
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

Radbacker

Speaking of Doom Patrol series 2 has just starred and the fist episode is a goody though a catch up would have been nice as I'd forgotten how the last series ended (was too long ago and too many other series in between for my old man brain to remember); no more narrator for spoiler reasons but still looks like it will be suitably bonkers.  I might have to pull out my GN of the Morrison run see how it differs.
Snow Piercer is pretty good and quite different to the movie which is also on Netflix in Oz at least and worth a watch.
Also been enjoying Stargirl, not rally familiar with with the JSA but it's pretty entertaining and I would say currently the best of the Bertalini DC stuff on TV at the moment though the titular character can be a bit annoying I think she is supposed to, some very ambitious FX especially the opening episode.

CU Radbacker 

Colin YNWA

Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 29 June, 2020, 11:27:52 PM
Elsewhere in our new TV landscape... is anyone else watching the Snowpiercer TV series on Netflix...? I'll confess to being entirety unfamiliar with either the film or the original comic, but I'm really enjoying this. Also, Jennifer Connolly. :-)

I was wondering about this as I saw the film recently and its quite fantastic. I'm curious as to what the film adds, or does it just extend and expand?

Modern Panther

Snowpiercer the TV show initially looks like its going down the same track (a pun!) as the film, then smartly going off the rails (another one!). Whereas the movies a lot of action, the series is a political murder mystery. The casting in the first episode is very clever.

Mardroid

Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 29 June, 2020, 09:59:59 PM
Quote from: Mardroid on 29 June, 2020, 06:44:46 PM
As way of example of the crazy stuff

Have you read the Morrison/Case DP run? That's not snark, it's just that, for me, the TV series does a remarkable job of capturing the quite deranged tone of the comic. It's not exactly there, but it's closer than anything I ever expected to see on TV.

No that's okay- I think I have read some of it, and I don't think I was over keen.

Concerning the TV series, I've seen more episodes since my post above, and I'm really enjoying it now, oddness included. I agree that it is very much a comic book film in capturing the same amount of weirdness and OT stuff you'd expect from the comics and making it work.

Spoilers:
[spoiler]A sentient talking street? I thought it would turn out to be some kind of reality or mind altering trick from Doctor Nobody, but no, it is exactly what it appears to be. I'm not complaining, mind, I found it worked and I enjoyed that episode a lot!

Oh and two words: Admiral Whiskers. Loved it! (Although I found Robot Man's OTT shouting irritating, but he had a valid reason, in the end.) [/spoiler]

And in all that weirdness and hits of darkness it can be quite sweet too.

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: Mardroid on 30 June, 2020, 02:37:29 PM
And in all that weirdness and hits of darkness it can be quite sweet too.

In that respect, it very much nails the Morrison/Case run which remains some of my favourite comics ever.
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

Mardroid

Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 30 June, 2020, 02:43:19 PM
Quote from: Mardroid on 30 June, 2020, 02:37:29 PM
And in all that weirdness and hits of darkness it can be quite sweet too.

In that respect, it very much nails the Morrison/Case run which remains some of my favourite comics ever.

I think it might be worthwhile my taking another look and reassessing it.

Oh and sorry for my typo:
"Hits of darkness" = "bits of darkness".

Actually, I guess 'hits' really works too.

pictsy

Finished Season 2 of Buff the Vampire Slayer.

It certainly improves on it's foundation and is given the benefit of twice as many episodes to flesh things out.  It does take a while to really get going.  There are some good single episodes, but I'm unsure how stand out they are.  Xander's love spell episode is one I enjoy but does have a rapey subtext that is even lampshaded in the episode.  I Only Have Eyes For You is another I like, but really overlooks the aspect of sexual abuse of a minor.  Despite that, the biggest disappointment of that episode is I don't think it's clear enough that school is surrounded by a swarm of bees (what bees had to do with anything, I don't know.  Maybe it's a Candyman reference).  Spike is great, Angel sucks (geddit?).

Personally, I think the turning point of the show is when [spoiler]Angel loses his soul[/spoiler].  It changes the stakes and ups the personal drama.  Nevertheless, the bit I look forward to is when [spoiler]Xander and Cordellia get together[/spoiler].  It gives Cordellia more relevance to the show and actually provides some the more amusing dialogue.

Next up, Faith and the Mayor.

Anthony Garnon

Quote from: pictsy on 02 July, 2020, 02:23:25 PM
Finished Season 2 of Buff the Vampire Slayer.

It certainly improves on it's foundation and is given the benefit of twice as many episodes to flesh things out.  It does take a while to really get going.  There are some good single episodes, but I'm unsure how stand out they are.  Xander's love spell episode is one I enjoy but does have a rapey subtext that is even lampshaded in the episode.  I Only Have Eyes For You is another I like, but really overlooks the aspect of sexual abuse of a minor.  Despite that, the biggest disappointment of that episode is I don't think it's clear enough that school is surrounded by a swarm of bees (what bees had to do with anything, I don't know.  Maybe it's a Candyman reference).  Spike is great, Angel sucks (geddit?).

Personally, I think the turning point of the show is when [spoiler]Angel loses his soul[/spoiler].  It changes the stakes and ups the personal drama.  Nevertheless, the bit I look forward to is when [spoiler]Xander and Cordellia get together[/spoiler].  It gives Cordellia more relevance to the show and actually provides some the more amusing dialogue.

Next up, Faith and the Mayor.

Definitely. It clicks into place as a proper drama (as opposed to something a little campy, throwaway fun) with the episode Passion, and that final scene. For me, anyway.